Six years later…
For hours, Ayame Tsuge stood on the bridge, toying with the kunai he had in hand, with his chin resting on his folded arms over the balustrade. The boy was in a depressive mood. He didn't know exactly why he was feeling like this at the moment, but it did happen to him from time to time.
On these occasions, he preferred to isolate himself to think, or rather, to brood.
This part of the town of Toda was calm and peaceful. The area was secluded and verdant, with a small river crossing the neighborhood. There wasn't much traffic, with the only exception of a few people bicycling and some children playing around.
As a group of kids ran past the teen, one of them hustled him and the kunai slipped his hand, falling into the river beneath.
'Crap!' he exclaimed, bending further over the balustrade, hoping to see where his kunai had landed in the shallow water, but in vain. He glanced at the children, then, who were running away and giggling amongst themselves.
He shook his head at them.
Making his way off the bridge and down the slope that went up the length of the river, he tossed his shoes off on the grass, removed his socks and put down the two other kunai he had on him, before he hitched his trousers up to his knees and stepped into the water, to go fetch for the object he had dropped.
He would have had probably abandoned the weapon had he not have a sentimental link with these three particular kunai.
He searched for a while, until he found the object.
Out of the blue, in the reflection of the water, he saw a huge winged beast hanging in the sky above him.
His head snapped up instantly; the monster ready to make a swoop down attack on him.
***
I still wondered if I took the right decision.
Looking up at the afternoon sky, I inhaled deeply. The air was so fresh. And even if the world seemed quite intimidating to me, I had to admit that it felt nice to be out of my cell and walking down the streets freely.
Where are you, Subaru? I can only hope that you are somewhere you can call your home.
I was striding my way up the small dirt path atop of the slopes of the river in town when, a teenaged boy caught my attention suddenly. He had spiky blond hair, his skin fair, his body toned and muscular. He was of average height and clothed in casuals. He couldn't be older than nineteen.
The blond was bended over the water in the river, seemingly searching for something. At first, I thought that he was trying to grab a fish or something, but then, it appeared that he was looking for something specific. When he found it, I kind of expected him to grin happily, but strangely, his expression grew dejected.
As I watched, in all of a sudden, a monster appeared in the sky above him. It had the features of a crow, but in larger dimension, measuring at least three meters in height and width.
It was a Karasu-tengu.
Automatically, I activated my Godai Shakujō.
In the blink of an eye, five shakujō appeared and at my will, they dashed at the Karasu-tengu, impaling it from all sides. The dead monster desiccated on the spot and the shakujō dematerialized.
I sighed, relieved that nothing happened to the teenaged boy.
This was the very first time that I truly used my ability and I couldn't help but find it quite intriguing.
Looking back straight ahead of me, I continued my way, making as if I didn't see or do anything.
***
Ayame Tsuge was astounded.
Out of nowhere, five six-ringed shakujō had appeared and impaled the monster; the bottom end of each shakujō having a sharp and pointed butt.
The Karasu-tengu had instantly died and went to dust in less than two.
The shakujō had then vanished.
Who did this?
He looked around of himself, a bit confused.
There was no one with the exception of a girl who was apparently only walking-by; she wasn't even looking into his direction, her expression soft and calm.
The girl in question had knee-length, straight, red hair, in a "hime" cut. She was rather a small person- very short and slender. Her skin was milky-white, her lips full. She was clothed in a red kimono with white and pink flower patterns on it, and she was aged, twenty-one or so.
Is it this girl who did this?
He couldn't tell, but his frown deepened as he realized that her face looked strangely familiar to him. He had the impression that he had seen this girl before, but he couldn't remember where he could have seen her face.
When he finally recalled, what he felt was a mixture of astonishment and indignation.
***
After a while…
My eyes snapped open and met those of Kagami Gushiken.
Slightly disoriented, I took a look around of us immediately.
My face flushed up when I understood that I had fallen asleep without realizing it again and I had nearly fell off the staircase, had the man not arrived and gripped my arm just in time.
'Oi! A little more and you were making a dramatic entrance, in the very literal sense of the word!' he bantered, releasing my arm.
I lowered my eyes, smiling awkwardly.
The man was in his forties. He was tall and muscular, with shoulder-length black hair kept slicked back, and a stubbly beard; his skin slightly tanned. He had two piercing on his left earlobe and a single piercing on right one.
He was the master of the place; the master of Gushiken Paranormal Organization.
I glanced at the other male accompanying him, who was standing there quietly, not really looking at us. The latter was of fair complexion and aged twenty-seven. His eyes were green and he was very tall and rather slender; dressed professionally in a suit and tie, as usual. His hair was bleached, and mostly short- with the exception of his bangs which fell over his left eye. He wore a Juzu bracelet on his left wrist.
Tsunan Hitachiin was his name and he was a doctor. As well as being a member of the organization, he was at the head of the Hitachiin clan.
Contrarily to the master, he was not of playful nature and lacked a sense of humor. He was somber and stern; with a cold personality.
I wondered what the quiet and calm doctor thought of me, he who knows the truth.
***
Tsunan Hitachiin glanced at the red-haired girl and noticed that her hair was now shorter; they used to fall to her ankles.
He pondered over the first time he had met the girl.
*Flashback*
A few days ago, at the prison of Tendo…
The metal door of the prison cell opened up onto a girl bound on a chair in the middle of the room. Metal restraints kept her arms bound to the armrests, her feet bound to the front legs of the chair, while another metal piece was wounded around her upper arms and torso, restricting her movements completely.
She was blindfolded, her incredibly long red hair dangling on the floor. Her face was pallid- she wasn't properly fed, the doctor could tell- and she had an injury at the lower lip, sign of physical abuse by the prison guards upon her.
Apart from the chair she was sitting on, the room was completely empty. The cell was compact, with only a small opening with bars on it found high up- almost touching the ceiling- on the back wall, where light could penetrate the lugubrious place.
She seemed to realize that she wasn't alone and visibly, stiffened.
The doctor remained in the background while Kagami Gushiken moved up to the red-haired girl to take off the blindfold. She cringed away at his touch, but remained very quiet, as the dark-haired man undid the knot in the cloth.
As the blindfold came off, she blinked several times to allow her eyes to adjust to the light. It was obvious that it had been a long time since she had last seen daylight.
When her eyes could finally focus on them, a frown appeared on her forehead, her expression frightened at the sight of the two strangers in her prison cell.
***
I remembered my first encounter with the two men.
*Flashback*
I stared at the two strangers in the cell with me.
'Who are you?' I breathed.
The eldest of the two presented himself first, saying, 'My name is Kagami Gushiken. And I am the master of Gushiken Paranormal Organization.' Casting a glance over his shoulder, he presented the other male to me. 'And this is the Doctor Tsunan Hitachiin.'
Gushiken Paranormal Organization?
I had never heard about it before. And knowing their identities didn't change anything; it didn't help quiet my anxiety.
The real question was…
'Why are you here?'
'I can take you out of prison,' the master told me, very seriously. 'At the condition that you join my organization which has for job to hunt monsters of all sorts.'
My eyes widened at him in stupefaction.
I understood in that instant that it was my ability that has brought them to me. There existed abilities that were passed down genetically within specific clans, in other words, the abilities were limited to the bloodline of these families. The Godai Shakujō was that of the Shutsuki clan and it appeared only in once over several generations. It was an ability that worked via the eyes. The possessor of the ability was recognized by heterochromia of the iris.
In my case, my right eye was blue and my left one, green. When the Godai Shakujō was activated, a golden ring appeared in the user's irises.
'As a sacred weapon, the Godai Shakujō can kill any supernatural being and it is the only known weapon that can kill a demon.'
So, he believes in the existence of demons?!
Demons were very different from other supernatural beings. Despite having human appearance, they were extremely resistant compared to other entities.
For him to be capable of taking me out of prison, I supposed that he has friends "higher up". But-
Lowering my eyes, I asked him, rhetorically, 'You'd be ready to free a murderer from prison just for the sake of the ability that she possesses and how useful it can be to you?!'
A small silence fell between us before the dark-haired man took out a picture from the inside pocket of his coat and he showed it to me, without speaking a word.
My heart jumped to my throat and my head snapped up at him in shock. This picture! Where did he find it?!
'I know that you're innocent; that you didn't do anything. You're not a murderer, Shun Shutsuki.'
Troubled, I stared at the two men with wide-eyes.
'Tell us what happened!' said the master, while the doctor remained quiet.
My eyes began to sting with tears, but I blinked them back and began to tell them the entire truth. They listened carefully. After I was done, I gave the two males a miserable look, my stomach twisting with dread.
'Shun, I want you to know that you have the choice,' the older male told me, in a reassuring tone. 'Don't worry! If you decide to remain here, we'll leave through this door and you'll never hear from us ever again. I'll destroy the picture, if you wish. But you may also decide to make yourself useful by coming to people's help and saving their lives. It's up to you to decide.'
***
I took my decision and here I was, in the quarters of Gushiken Paranormal Organization.
The building was two storied. The majestic front door opened onto a large hall, with sets of tables on both sides like in a canteen. A large staircase opened up in the middle of the hall, which led upstairs where the master's office and the infirmary were found.
The washroom was on the ground floor.
The building was situated in the middle of a glade surrounded by woods. There was a swimming pool at the back and the whole domain could be used for training grounds.
As I heard noises downstairs at that moment, I looked down into the hall and saw that the members of the organization were starting to arrive in groups.
The organization counted eleven members at all, including the Doctor Tsunan Hitachiin, and Kagami Gushiken, even if the latter couldn't really be considered as such since he was at its head.
I didn't have much information about the members of the organization though.
The first persons who entered were three young girls. They all had fair skin and measured average height. The first one had mid-back level, wavy, ginger hair, and she had generous curves. Apparently, she was the eldest of the three, probably twenty of age, and she was carrying a foldable hand fan.
The second, who was approximately a year younger than the first, was slender and had long, black hair, tied high up in a pony-tail that came down to her hips. She was carrying a red Japanese umbrella.
They were both dressed in a short colorful kimono and wore white leggings.
The third girl had dyed-pink, shingle hair, and she wore spectacles. She was lean, and dressed up like a Gothic-Lolita. She was the youngest, most probably eighteen.
Two dark-haired males arrived next. One of them had pale skin, with shoulder-length black hair tied in a small pony-tail at the back, and front fringes that hanged over his right eye. He was probably nineteen. The other, who was about twenty-four years old, had short, spiky, black hair; his skin slightly tanned. Clothed in a hakamashita and hakama, he was taller and more muscular that the younger guy, and was carrying a long cylinder-like object on his back wrapped up in a cloth.
I was surprised to recognize the next head that crossed through the doorway. It was the same boy I had seen at the river earlier, the very one of the incident with the Karasu-tengu.
The teen's expression was upset.
Following him, arrived another guy, this one with unruly red hair, spiked at the ends. Tall and slender, his skin was papery-white. He was approximately twenty.
He was the only one who moved up to talk to the girls.
To my astonishment, the hand fan of the ginger-haired girl grew into a harisen and the girl smacked the red-haired boy with it on the head; the latter having most certainly said something that had annoyed her.
A few minutes later, another member of the organization made his appearance. He had long ginger hair that dropped down to cover his forehead. He was tall and muscular, with fair skin. He couldn't be older than twenty-three.
He remained silently at the back of the group, leaning against the back wall, with his arms crossed over his chest.
No one seemed to notice his arrival.
I realized that there was one member still missing but then remembered that earlier, I had heard Doctor Tsunan inform the master that someone- I didn't catch quite catch name of- was not coming, because the latter was on mission too far away.
'Shall we?' Master Kagami asked me, and I looked back at him, holding my breath.
'Yes,' I whispered, nervously.
He made his way half-down the staircase, and at his sight, everyone stopped talking.
'Thank you for coming everyone!' he declared. 'I have an important announcement to make to you!'
'What is it?' inquired the blond teen; the river boy.
Bowing my head, I moved downstairs to join the master.
I heard it very clearly when everyone's breaths caught.
'This is new recruit, Shun Shutsuki! From now on, she is a member of the organization.'
There was a long heavy silence, before the members of the organization began to fulminate.
'Have you utterly lost your mind, old man?!' the blond spat. 'This girl is a murderer! She has massacred all the people of her village in cold-blood and burnt the place to the ground!'
'Do you know how she killed all those people?! She has eviscerated and dismembered them!' the red-haired boy lashed out. 'There were pieces of cadavers everywhere! Some corpses have never been able to be put back together! She didn't even spare the livestock!'
I had expected this reaction on their parts, which was absolutely normal after all, since that I was believed to be a sadistic killer. But despite everything, I felt tears come to my eyes and I trembled slightly.
Unexpectedly, a hand came down onto my head in a pat and I looked up instantly into Master Kagami's eyes at this comforting gesture of his.
'I've already taken my decision!' he stated, firmly. 'This girl possesses the Godai Shakujō. Her ability will be very helpful to us.'
'Master, please tell us that you're not serious!' said the guy with the pony-tail, in a pleading tone. 'Tell me that you didn't recruit this girl by taking into consideration solely the ability that she possesses!'
The master wavered once.
'No,' he replied, thoughtfully. 'This girl is innocent.'
I fixated Kagami Gushiken, unable to keep myself from fearing that he'd break and reveal the truth to them.
'She was possessed!' he declared, and my eyes went wide in shock.
Why did he say this to them? It wasn't true, but it wasn't very far from it either.
Another minute of silence fell in the hall, before the blond exclaimed, 'Possessed?! By what? Demons? Demons do not exist!'
'Oh? And how do you know that?' demanded Doctor Tsunan, who spoke for the first time since the meeting had started; his voice calm. I hadn't realized when he had moved down to our sides.
The blond seemed to be taken aback, just like everyone else, but still, he stood his ground, pointing out, 'Simply because none of us has ever encountered one!' His eyes shifted onto the master. 'Even you, Master Kagami, has never seen one, if I'm not wrong. If demons exist, then tell me where they're hiding!'
Looking at me then, the blond teenager gritted out, 'You're far worst that I thought! You're just one unscrupulous and remorseless monster!'
'That's enough!' exclaimed the master, speaking not only to him, but also to the other members in the hall. 'This girl is now a member of the organization whether you like it or not! And my decision is irrevocable!'
On these words, he turned around and made his way upstairs, ignoring the fulminating members of the organization.
I tagged along with him, following him to his office quietly, while Doctor Tsunan parted with us to answer a phone call.
The office room was big, with a large window facing the door; the floor carpeted. There was a set of sofas in the middle of the room, while the master's desk sat by the window. This gave off onto the back of the building.
'I have a patient waiting for me at my clinic. It's urgent. I need to go,' Doctor Tsunan came in to inform the master.
The doctor owned a small clinic in town where he treated people who didn't form part of the organization.
Excusing himself, he left, closing the door after him.
I turned back around to face Master Kagami who was standing in the middle of the room.
'I'm sorry that I had to tell them that you were possessed.'
'It's okay,' I murmured. I could understand. He was the master of the organization and recruiting a criminal, no matter the abilities that she possesses, put his moral sense in jeopardy.
'But please, remember that we have a deal. You should never ever take the name of Subaru. Her existence must never be revealed.'
He nodded.
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Shun - pronounced Shoon ('u' becomes 'oo' in Japanese like in the word 'shoo')
Kunai - a Japanese tool, used as a multi-functional weapon
Karasu-tengu - a crow monster
Godai Shakujō - lit., five great staffs
Shakujō - a Buddhist ringed staff
Harisen - a giant paper fan